Rome is burning. All seems lost. This is the end of Act I of “The Clemency of Titus” (“La Clemenza di Tito”), an opera about Titus, a virtuous emperor and a good ruler, shining a light for humanity in its darkest times.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed this two-act opera in 1791 to commemorate the coronation of the king of Bohemia, Leopold II. And what better way to celebrate this event than to create a story about a compassionate ruler?
